WHAT'S NEXT: INNOVATIONS IN NEWSPAPERS

Jonathan Stray checks for the Nieman Journalism Lab the real sources of the recent breaking-news story about the China/Google hacking case and finds that”

– Out of 121 unique stories, 13 (11 percent) contained some amount of original reporting. I counted a story as containing original reporting if it included at least an original quote. From there, things get fuzzy. Several reports, especially the more technical ones, also brought in information from obscure blogs. In some sense they didn’t publish anything new, but I can’t help feeling that these outlets were doing something worthwhile even so. Meanwhile, many newsrooms diligently called up the Chinese schools to hear exactly the same denial, which may not be adding much value.

- Only seven stories (six percent) were primarily based on original reporting. These were produced by The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Tech News World, Bloomberg, Xinhua (China), and the Global Times (China).

- Of the 13 stories with original reporting, eight were produced by outlets that primarily publish on paper,  four were produced by wire services, and one was produced by a primarily online outlet. For this story, the news really does come from newspapers.

So how are we going co cover real news without original reporting?

And who is going to pay for real reporters?

And real journalism?

Let’s get real.

Big news from the Apple shareholders meeting today in Cupertino:

Very soon, 25 Apple stores in China.

iPhone now in 70 countries.

Apple is now the top notebook provider to education in US.

Elmer-DeWitt reported the best line of the meeting:

“Steve is as feisty as ever (suggesting that questioners come to an actual question) and in good humor! …Another shareholder then asked a long winded question about what Apple/Jobs fears, “What keeps you awake at night?” Jobs deadpans: “Shareholders meetings.” Audience erupts in laughter.”

After the annual meeting, the Apple shares are UP.

WOW!

An unusual long and serious official declaration of Google.

A crucial issue once the founder of Facebook says that our Internet privacy will be at risk, not only in China, but everywhere.

The Daily Telegraph explains:

Officially described as “volunteers” by Beijing, the 30 blue track-suited guards were recruited from specialist squads in the People’s Armed Police (PAP), a one-million strong force dedicated to maintaining public order …

The hand-picked members of the “The Olympic Holy Flame Protection Unit” are all above 5ft 9in and underwent a rigorous training programme at the PAP special police academy in Beijing last August.

And The First Post adds more details:

Lord (Sebastian) Coe, the former gold medalist who runs the committee planning London’s 2012 Olympic Games, is one of many people questioning how the blue track-suited Chinese guards protecting the Olympic flame on its controversial world tour were allowed to manhandle people – and even scuffle with British police – in London this week.

Coe was overheard by Channel 4 News saying: “They tried to push me out of the way three times. They are horrible. They did not speak English… I think they were thugs.” He added that other cities on the route should “get rid of those guys”.

Konnie Huq, the former Blue Peter presenter who took part in the London stage, and was approached by protestors trying to grab the torch from her hands, described how the Chinese guards shouted orders at her and pushed her arm to make her lift the torch higher.

“They were very robotic, very full on, and actually I noticed them having skirmishes with our own police and the Olympic authorities before our leg of the relay, which was confusing,” she said…

Their fitness routine has included running 25 to 20 miles a day and most have martial arts expertise. All have scored highly in “political tests” – a euphemism for ideological training. Most important, they’ve had lessons from a physics teacher in how to keep a flame from going out.

When the squad was formed last August, their leader, Zhao Si, boasted to the Chinese media that the men’s “outstanding physical quality is not in the slightest inferior to that of specialised athletes.”

One city where they will not be welcome is Australia’s capital, Canberra, where the Olympic torch is due next Tuesday. “I have seen what occurred in London,” said Michael Phelan, Canberra’s police chief, “and I can tell you that type of security arrangement will not be occurring here.”

As the The Guardian’s leader will say tomorrow:

“The 30 officers of the “Holy Flame Protection Unit” should be withdrawn, and the torch be given a rest until the games begin.”

You can watch LIVE streaming coverage here of the Olympic Torch run in San Francisco, beginning at 1 p.m. (Pacific Time) on Wednesday, April 9th.

And breaking news from London: Gordon Brown, UK’s Primer Minister, will NOT attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in China.

(Photo by AFP)

Good headline for the Golden Gate photo!